Hydraulic log barker



Nov. 23, 1954 Filed Jan. 28, 1950 W. J. HARTWIG HYDRAULIC LOG BARKER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 23, 1954 w. J. HARTwlG 2,695,194

HYDRAULIC LOG BARKER Filed Jan. 28, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E n l1 jjj) 69 CII H @l United States Patent O HYDRAULIC LOG BARKER Application January 28, 1950, Serial No. 141,117

9 Claims. (Cl. 299-62) This invention relates to devices for the cleaning and removing of bark from whole logs or parts thereof, by means of high pressure hydraulic jets. More specifically this invention relates to that type of hydraulic barker in which the barking jet travels or moves in addition to motion imparted to the log or slab. 'I'he principal object of the invention is the provision of new and improved hydraulic barking devices.

In the lumber and paper industries, large numbers of logs and slabs are barked in preparing them for use as lumber or as pulp. Many machines have been developed to carry on this operation, some that operate quite successfully. One such machine includes a nozzle that oscillates transversely across the log as the log moves through the machine. This machine has achieved rapid barking but each time the nozzle reverses the direction of motion the jet passes over a portion of its previous path where the bark has already been removed. This results in a waste of power. The oscillating structure must also have great strength and therefore it is a heavy and costly installation. It may be seen, therefore, that there is an ever present need for a new machine that will carry on this operation faster, more effectively, with lower power consumption, and a lower initial investment, than any machine yet developed. Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a machine that will meet these needs for greater economy in the barking operation.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a machine that will handle logs or slabs of any length, in a continuous process with a minimum of operating controls.

Another object of this invention is to remove bark in trnsverse and parallel paths so energy will not be wasted in zlrossing or excessive overlapping of the jets barking pat s.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a nozzle assembly to issue jets that will travel across the log or slab at high speed and be shut olf when they reach the edge to prevent energy being wasted by a jet traveling beyond the edge of the log or slab.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine which will direct a jet of maximum discharge at the central portion and jets of reduced discharge at the edge of a slab where there is a tendency to split the woo Objects and advantages other than those above set forth will be apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

The novel features of the invention and how the objects are attained will appear from the specification and the accompanying drawings showing several embodiments of the invention and forming a part of this application, and all these novel features are intended to be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a slab barker according to the present invention, part of the covering structure being cut away to more clearly disclose the means for receiving and carrying slabs through the machine, and the nozzle assembly that issues jets to remove the bark as the slabs move endwise through the machine;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the slab barker from the discharge end of the machine, the end covering structure being removed to more clearly illustrate the mounting and operation of the nozzle structure;

Fig. 3 is an end view, partly in section, of the nozzle "ice assembly, to illustrate the manner in which barking nozzles are rotated about the lluid supply means;v

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on plane IV-IV ofFig. 3;and

Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammanc viewv of another embodiment showing a barking machine constructed so as to bark whole logs in a single pass through the machine.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the slab barking machine comprises supporting means here1n disclosed as being constructed of structural steel longitudinal members 1, 2 and cross members 3, 4, which form the supporting frame for the entire machine. A sluice 5 to receive waste Water or other hydraulic fluid and chips of bark, is supported by the members 1, 2 and is sloped to facilitate rapid discharge of water and bark from the machine.

Slab receiving and carrying means are herein disclosed as the slab carrying rolls 6, supported by the bearings 7 which are mounted on the members 1, 2. Sprocket wheels or sheaves 8 are mounted on the extended shafts of the rolls 6. A multispeed electric motor 11 for controlling the speed of the rolls 6, is mounted on a raised platform 12 on the inlet end of the machine. A sprocket wheel or sheave 13, mounted on the shaft of the motor 11, drives the rolls by means of chain or belt drives 10, 14. If desired, all rolls can be driven as shown in Fig. l. Any combination of driven and idler rolls can be obtained by merely removing the sprockets or sheaves 8 from any of the rolls 6 and bypassing those rolls 6 with the chain or belt drives 14.

An enclosing casing 15 is supported by the members 1, 2, by means of the brackets 16. The casing 15 encloses the machine thereby preventing water and spray from escaping to the surrounding atmosphere and also to lend support to elements suspended above the log carrying rolls 6.

Rotary nozzle means, herein disclosed as the assembly 17 is here shown suspended from a turntable 19 by brackets 20 passing through arcuate slots in casing 15. The turntable 19 is mounted on the top of the casing 15 and is supported by a spindle bearing 21 and a circular track 22. Driving means for rotating the nozzle assembly 17 comprises a multispeed electric motor 28 mounted on the turntable 19 directly above the assembly 17. A sprocket or sheave 32 is mounted on the shaft of the motor 28. An idler sprocket or sheave 33 is supported by a bearing bracket 34 mounted on the turntable 19. A sprocket or sheave 36 is attached to the rotatable elements of the nozzle assembly 17. Belt or chain driving means 35 pass through an annular slot in casing 15 and an opening 24 in the turntable 19 and over the sprockets or sheaves 32, 36 to transmit the rotary motion of the motor 28 to the rotatable elements of the assembly 17. A covering member or housing 37 protects the driving means 35 from water and flying chips of bark.

Additional driving means are provided to rotate the turntable 19 and comprise a multispeed electric motor 25 mounted on the casing 15 by al supporting bracket 27, the shaft of the motor being positioned vertically. A pinion gear 23 is mounted on the shaft of the motor 25 and is engageable with teeth 29 cut in the outer periphery of the turntable 19. Flexible hydraulic fluid supply means are provided to deliver barking fluid to the nozzle assembly 17 without interfering with the rotation of the turntable 19. The fluid supply means are herein shown as comprising a lluid supply source 30 connected to the assembly 17 by a flexible high pressure hose 31.

A baille plate 41 is swingably mounted on brackets 47 by semicircular members 42 clamped about the brackets 47 and bolted to the plate 41. The brackets 47 are mounted on the sides of the casing 15. Reinforcing members 43 lend rigidity to the plate 41. The lower edge of the plate 41 rests upon the slab to hold the slab down, and is curved so as to offer less resistance to the movement of the slab through the machine. Longitudinally mounted pipes 44, supported by members 45 and v 46, form guiding means for the slabs as they advance through the machine.

The assembly 17 is shown in detail in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The nozzle assembly 17 comprises rotatable nozzle carrying means mounted concentrically about fluid discharge means. The uid discharge means includes a fluid supply conduit or pipe 26, a fluid discharge ring 52 with a radial discharge port S3 and a supporting member 5S. The uid discharge ring 52 is axially aligned with the discharge end of the pipe 26 and is adapted to be attached to a collar 54 that is welded to the conduit 26. The supporting member 55 is welded to a disk flange 56. The supporting member 5S, disk .flange 56, discharge ring 52 and the pipe 26 are joined in axial alignment by bolts 57. A simpler uid discharge means could be used, such as a single length of pipe with a radial port cut in the shell. However the more complicated structure described is preferred since it is desirable that the discharge port 53 be cut in metal highly resistant to wear and when replacement does become necessary only the discharge ring 52 need be replaced. The rotatable nozzle carrying means are herein disclosed as 'the cylindrical member 60 mounted concentrically about the discharge ring 52. A plurality of barking nozzles 61 are radially inserted in and extend through the periphery of the cylindrical member 60 in the radial plane of the discharge port 53. A replaceable wearing ring 62 is held in contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical member 60 by the barking nozzles 61 which act as keys to keep the ring 62 in place. There is a slight clearance between the wearing ring 62 and the discharge ring 52 to allow the barking uid to lubricate the surfaces. This will cause some wear by erosion, but both the wearing ring 62 and the discharge ring 52 are easily replaceable. 'the ends of the cylindrical member 60 are enclosed by members 63, 64 which are rotatably mounted about and sealed to the outer surfaces of the pipe 26 and the member 55 by means of bearings 65 and packing 66. The members 63, 64 are attached to the cylindrical member 60 by bolts 67. Fluid passages 68 conduct uid pressure from the pipe 26 to the inner chamber 58 of the cylindrical member 60 to equalize the pressure on both sides of the collar 54 and the disk flange 56, and to lubricate the bearings 65. Sealing rings 69 are fitted about each of the barking nozzles 61 to help insure a fluid tight iit of the barking nozzles 61 in the cylindrical member 60. The driving sprocket or sheave 36 is bolted to the collar member 64 to rotate the cylindrical member 60 about the discharge ring 52.

As the nozzles 61 are rotated about the discharge ring 52, each of the nozzles 6l will pass over the discharge port 53 and issue a jet through a sector 9 (in Fig. 2) of the plane of rotation. The angular magnitude of the sector 9 is determined by the arcuate length 71 (in Fig. 3) of the discharge port 53, as measured along the circumference of discharge ring 52, and of course must be sufficient to sweep with an effective barking jet, the widest slab desired to be barked in the machine with the assembly 17 at the particular height above the rolls 6 desired.

The ring 52 may be positioned so that the central axis of the port 53 is directed at the longitudinal center line of a slab advancing through the machine. The arcuate length 71 of the port 53 must also be sufficient to permit maximum uid discharge at all times. That is, when one of the nozzles 61 is directly over the port 53 and fully open, the assembly 17 will issue the maximum discharge of a single nozzle. To keep this discharge constant, as the nozzle continues to rotate past the port 53 and begins to close, the next nozzle must begin to pass over the port 53 and open suiiciently to discharge an amount that when added to the reduced discharge of the preceding nozzle, will equal the maximum of a single nozzle. For example, when a nozzle has rotated past the port and begins to close reducing its discharge to 75% of the maximum of the nozzle, the following nozzle must begin its pass over the port and at this point be discharging 25% of the maximum of the nozzle, thereby discharging at all times 100% of the maximum discharge of a single nozzle. To maintain the discharge at a constant rate the outer arcuate length 71 is approximately equal to the displacement of the nozzles 61, as measured along the circumference of the discharge ring 52. Thus the greater the angular magnitude of the sector 9 desired, the greater will be the arcuate length 71 of the port 53, and the fewer will be the number of nozzles required to issue a constant rate of discharge. Failure to maintain a constant rate of discharge at all times will result in the fluid pressure surging in the uid supply means. The surface of the discharge port 53 will be subject to wear and will become enlarged after prolonged Til use. Surging in the fluid supply means may therefore be taken as an indication that the port 53 has become worn to the extent that it should be replaced.

The discharge passage through the nozzles 61 may be of any desired configuration. The character of the flow through the nozzle may however vary depending on the type of nozzle chosen. For example, the particular nozzle shown in the drawings (Figs. 3 and 4) has a circular discharge orice with the interior dimension, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the assembly, being almost equal to the outer diameter of the nozzle at the innermost portion thereof which is in contact with the discharge ring 52. For this particular type of nozzle it was discovered that it was necessary to reduce the arcuate length 71 of the port S3 by about 10% to maintain the constant discharge through the nozzles heretofore described.

ln the operation of the structure above described, slabs are fed endwise on to the rolls 6. The slabs will be advanced through the machine by the rolls 6 between the guide pipes 44 and pass beneath the nozzle assembly 17. The rotating nozzle assembly 17 will issue an uninterrupted series of barking jets as the nozzles 61 rotate through the sector 9 (in Fig. 2) of the plane of rotation. To bark a slab of approximately the maximum width receivable on the rolls 6, as determined by the maximum spread or spacing of the guide pipes 44, the turntable 19 and nozzle assembly 17 are positioned as shown in Fig. l and Fig. 2, that is, with the nozzles 61 rotating in a plane that is perpendicular to the guide pipes 44. As the slab advances through the machine each nozzle will issue a jet that will travel transversely across the log. The path barked by each jet will be parallel to the path of the previous jet and the faster the slab advances through the machine, relative to the speed of the jets crossing the log, the narrower will be the overlap of one path upon another. As the nozzle begins to pass over the port 53 it will issue a jet, the discharge of which will increase as the nozzle opens. The minimum barking pressure will be attained while the nozzle is directed at the edge of the slab, thereby reducing the tendency to spilt the edge and cause a loss of valuable wood fiber. As the jet travels across the slab, the nozzle continues to open until the nozzle is over the central part of the port 53 at which time the nozzle will be wide open and directing a jet of maximum discharge at the central part of the slab. Then as the nozzle begins to pass beyond the port, the nozzle will begin to close and the next nozzle will begin to open resulting in two barking jets being issued simultaneously and being directed at each of the two edge portions of the slab, The bark is thereby removed by a continuous, uninterrupted series of jets traveling in parallel paths transversely across the slab. By controlling the speeds of the motor 11 and the motor 28, the operator can keep the overlap of the barking paths to a minimum and advance the slabs through the machine as fast as the condition of the bark will allow. When narrower slabs are to be barked, overthrow of fluid beyond the edges of the slab can be reduced by rotating the turntable 19, in either direction from the position shown in Fig. l and Fig. 2. That is, as shown in Fig. l and Fig. 2, the plane in which the nozzles 61 rotate and issue jets (the sector 9) is perpendicular to the pipes 44, thus sweeping a slab of maximum width with the barking jets. However, if the turntable were rotated in either direction, the plane in which the nozzles 61 rotate would be parallel to the pipes 44, resutling in the barking of only a very narrow strip down the center of a slab. It is easily seen that since the subtended angle of the sector 9 is a constant angle, that rotating the sector 9 about the bisector thereof as an axis results in narrowing the barked strip to a minimum reached when the sector 9 has been rotated 90 in either direction from the position shown in Fig. 2. This enables the operator to select a position of the turntable that will cause the width of this strip to approximate the width of the slab to be barked, thereby reducing the overthrow of uid beyond the edges of the slab.

This machine as described and illustrated in Fig. l and Fig. 2, although primarily a slab barker, is capable of barking edgings, cants or whole logs. When barking a whole log in the machine as illustrated, more than one pass through the machine must be made. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in this art that the rolls 6 may be replaced with rolls of the well known iluted and splral types that are parallel to the log and rotate the log as it advances through the machine, to thereby bark a whole log in a single pass through the machine.

In the embodiment shown in the diagrammatic view, Fig. 5, parts similar to any part in the principal embodiment are labeled with the same number with the suffix a added. A plurality of nozzle assemblies 17a are spaced about the log carrying rolls 6a which are supported and driven by means not shown. Fluid supply means consists of a horizontal supply conduit 70 and two vertical branches 71, that cooperate to supply hydraulic fluid under pressure to each of the nozzle assemblies 17a and to support the nozzle assemblies in spaced relationship about the log. Driving means are herein disclosed as including a multispeed electric motor 28a, which by means of the belt 35a, drives the sheave 36a attached to the upper nozzle assembly 17a. Belts 72 and a series of sheaves 73 cause each of the nozzle assemblies 17a to rotate and issue jets in the manner previously described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4.

In the operation of the embodiment of Fig. 5, logs are carried through the machine by the rolls 6a without rotating. Each of the nozzle assemblies 17a will direct jets through overlapping sectors 9a of their respective planes of rotation, thereby directing jets at the entire periphery of the log. The nozzle assemblies 17a will coact with each other and with the log carrying rolls 6a to remove bark in a parallel series of segmented circumferential aths.

p Although this machine, shown in Fig. 5, is primarily a log barker, it can easily be converted to a slab barker. The rolls 6a can be removed and rolls 6 of Fig. 2 substituted. Valves 75 may be provided in the pipes 71 respectively and they can be closed and the belts 72 removed from sheaves 73 to thereby completely immobilize all but the upper nozzle assembly 17a. The operation of this machine would then be as described with reference to Fig. l and Fig. 2.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiments of the invention provide new and improved hydraulic barking devices and accordingly accomplish the objects of the invention. On the other hand, it will also be abvious to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiments of the invention may be variously changed and modified, or features thereof, singly or collectively, embodied in other coinbinations than those illustrated, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or sacrificing all of the advantages thereof, and that accordingly the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and the invention is not limited thereto.

lt is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising liquid supply conduit means, a circumferentially extending discharge port in said conduit means discharging liquid through a sector of a radial plane about said conduit means, a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said conduit means having wall means defining a plurality of jet issuing passages circumferentially spaced about and extending through said wall means in said radial plane, said wall means presenting an internal surface between adjacent said passages of an arcuate length less than the arcuate length of said discharge port measured in said plane along the outer circumference of said conduit means, and driving means to cause the said cylindrical member to rotate about said conduit means causing each of said passages to pass over said discharge port and issue a radially directed liquid barking jet while passing through said sector of said radial plane.

2. A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising fluid supply conduit means, a circumferentially extending discharge port in said conduit means discharging iluid through a sector of a radial plane about said conduit means, a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said conduit means, a plurality of radially directed circumferentially spaced barking nozzles mounted in and extending through said member in said radial plane, each of said nozzles having a radially directed passage extending therethrough for issuing a liquid barking jet, said member and said nozzles presenting an internal surface between adjacent nozzle passages of an arcuate length less than the arcuate length of said discharge port measured in said plane along the outer circumference of said conduit means, said nozzles thereby cooperating with said discharge port to provide outlet means for maintaining a continuous uninterrupted discharge of iluid from said discharge port, and driving means to rotate said cylindrical member about said conduit means to cause said nozzles to be carried around said conduit means in the radial plane of said discharge port.

A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising liquid supply conduit means, a discharge port in said conduit means discharging liquid through a sector of a radial plane about said conduit, a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said conduit means, a plurality of radially directed barking nozzles mounted in and extending through said cylindrical member and ar, ranged in said radial plane for issuing liquid bark removing jets in said sector of said plane, driving means to rotate said cylindrical member about said discharge means, and said nozzles circumferentally spaced about the inner surface of said cylindrical member an arcuate distance approximately equal to the arcuate length of said discharge port measured in said plane along the outer circumference of said conduit means so that saidnozzles cooperate with the discharge means to continuously and without interruption issue one or more liquid barking jets that will at all times equal the maximum discharge of one of said nozzles.

4. A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising a liquid supply pipe, a discharge ring axially aligned with and attached to said pipe, a radial discharge port in said ring for discharging liquid through a sector of a radial plane about said ring, a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said ring and supported by said pipe, a plurality of liquid jet issuing barking nozzles inserted in and extending through said cylindrical member in the radial plane of said port, said nozzles being circumferentially spaced around said cylindrical member an arcuate distance measured along the inner surface of member approximately equal to the arcuate length of said discharge port measured in said plane along the outer circumference of said discharge ring, said nozzles thereby cooperating with said port to maintain a continuous uninterrupted discharge of liquid through one or more of said nozzles, and driving means for rotating said cylindrical member about said discharge ring.

A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising uid supply conduit means, a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said conduit means, a plurality of barking nozzles each having a discharge passage therethrough and equally spaced about and radially extending through said cylindrical member in a radial plane about said conduit means, a radial discharge port in said conduit means for discharging uid through a sector of said radial plane, the arcuate length of said discharge port being greater than the arcuate distance between the discharge passages of said nozzles to thereby permit said port to simultaneously discharge uid through more than one of said nozzles, and driving means to cause said cylindrical member to rotate about said ring and each of said nozzles to pass over said port.

6. A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising iluid supply conduit means, a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said conduit means, and a plurality of barking nozzles equally spaced about and radially inserted in the periphery of said cylindrical member in a radial plane about said conduit means, and a radial discharge port in said conduit means for discharging iluid through a sector of said radial plane, the arcuate length of said port being approximately equal to the peripheral displacement of said nozzles to maintain the discharge from said nozzle assembly at a predetermined constant rate.

7. A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising a liquid supply pipe, a iluid discharge ring axially aligned with and attached to said pipe, a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said ring, a plurality of barking nozzles equally spaced about and inserted in the periphery of said member in a radial plane about said ring, and a radial discharge port in said ring for discharging liquid through a sector of said radial plane, the arcuate length of said port being approximately equal to the peripheral displacement of said nozzle to maintain the discharge from said nozzle assembly at a predetermined constant rate.

8. A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising liquid supply conduit means; a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said conduit means; a plurality of barking nozzles each having a discharge passage therethrough and equally spaced about and radially inserted in said cylindrical member in a radial plane about said conduit means; driving means for rotating said member about said conduit means; and radial discharge means in said conduit means for discharging liquid through a sector of said radial plane; the arcuate length of the sector of said plane through which said discharge means discharges uid being greater than the arcuate distance between the discharge passages of said nozzles to cause the said nozzles to issue a continuous uninterrupted series of radially directed liquid barking jets as said nozzles pass over said discharge means.

9. A nozzle assembly for hydraulic barkers comprising: a liquid supply pipe; a discharge ring axially aligned with and attached to said pipe; a radial port in said ring; a cylindrical member mounted concentrically about said ring; a plurality of jet issuing nozzles equally spaced about and inserted in the periphery of said member; and driving means to cause said cylindrical member to rotate about said pipe and each of said nozzles to pass over said port; the arcuate length of said port being approximately equal to the peripheral displacement of said nozzles so that as one of said nozzles passes over and partially beyond said port and the discharge therefrom is reduced, the next nozzle will begin to pass over said port and the discharge therefrom will increase until the maximum is reached at which time the preceding nozzle shall have passed entirely beyond said port.

References Cited in the le of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fisher Nov. 4, 1890 Loomis Apr. 27, 1909 Reece Sept. 22, 1925 Norman July 27, 1926 Roach June 24, 1930 Frede et al Oct. 3, 1933 Johnson et al. July 14, 1942 Swift Dec. 31, 1946 Swift June 24,

shaw May 1s, 1951 Holveck et al Dec. 18, 1951 Holveck et al. Feb. 26, 1952 

